Tag: full-time MBA
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Our Dallas/Fort Worth Class of 2020 welcomed its largest class ever, with 88 new students. This is also the most international class the DFW program has ever had and the most diverse in terms of companies/organizations represented.

We recently caught up with Lily Yap, a DFW MBA student originally from San Francisco, California. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in Business Management and works on coordinating life-saving programs and operations for animal welfare services in Dallas.

Lily’s “WhyMcCombs?”

Lily was excited to see how passionate the current MBAs in her field are and looked forward to taking leadership classes. She believes classes that refine “soft” skills are extremely beneficial and looks forward to sharing her unique knowledge with other students and organizations.

Our Full-Time Class of 2020 is composed of 284 impressive MBAs from all over the world. Students from outside the U.S. are a valuable part of the Texas McCombs network, bringing their individual perspective and cultural background to Austin. 24% of our 2020 Full-Time MBAs are international students.

We recently caught up with MBA ’20 Guilherme Junqueira, a student originally from Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil. His journey to Texas McCombs offers insight to future international students wanting to earn their MBA here.

Guilherme’s “Why McCombs?”

Guilherme lived in Sao Paulo for nine years where he attended university to study Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. Before coming to Austin for his MBA, Guilherme worked at Oxiteno as a Lead Product Management Analyst.

“I wanted to join a top MBA program located in a small to mid-size city and with a small class; these were important factors because I wanted to develop close connections with my classmates in a more focused program environment. After submitting my applications, I came to the U.S. to visit five schools that I had applied to; this definitely was the best way to confirm that McCombs was the best fit for me.”

He attended business school events in Sao Paulo and multi-school events such as the MBA Tour. For him, events offered clarity to understand the similarities and differences of each program. After being admitted, he attended company-sponsored pre-MBA events in both Brazil and the United States. The A.T. Kearney Bootcamp helped confirm and narrow his career priorities post-MBA. He found that he enjoyed participating in national career fairs, such as Prospanica, in career treks and entrepreneurship events.

The following was written by Samantha Frapart, Texas McCombs MBA ’17, and originally posted in June of 2017.

I thought I couldn’t get into business school. With my double-major in English and Ecology, five years in non-profits, and my natural aversion to words like “Nasdaq” and “synergy,” how could I convince admissions teams that I belonged in their MBA programs? Well, after graduating from McCombs in May of 2017, I’m here to happily debunk one of the greatest myths of business school: The non-traditional candidate.

Contrary to popular belief, business programs aren’t looking for human calculators. They are looking for students eager to foster strong teams, willing to negotiate & compromise, and ready to share diverse perspectives. In management classes, I was able to add a unique viewpoint to discussions on anything from government regulations to corporate social responsibility. Though I looked to my study-team for help with my finance homework, I was able to offer equally important business lessons like proper brief-structure and design thinking.

We all have something to offer, it’s just a matter of figuring out what that is and letting it shine through.

Though I assure you “non-traditional” is a thing of the past, I know this process can feel daunting. So with the Full-Time MBA application currently open for the next class, I’d like to share some helpful tips from my experience (before and during business school) in hopes that it might ease your worries about applying and prepare you for the fantastic two years ahead.

The 2018-2019 Full-Time MBA application is open and the Admissions Committee is accepting applications in three rounds. We receive a lot of questions about our application deadlines. Namely, new applicants want to know whether or not it matters when you submit your application– Round 1, 2, or 3?

You should NEVER rush to submit your MBA application simply to take advantage of there being “more spots.”
– The Admissions Committee’s best application round advice

Timing is a key factor in your overall application strategy. A lot of details go into deciding which round to apply, and one answer is not right for everyone. So, let’s break it down by round so you can get a clearer picture of when might be the best time for you to hit “Submit.”

This Insider info comes from Sharon Barrett, Director of Working Professional & Executive MBA Admissions.

If you are still deciding between leaving your job to attend an MBA full-time, or continuing to work while you earn your degree part-time, rest assured you’re not alone. Here are some basic questions I ask people who are grappling with this decision:

What do you want to do with your MBA?

The answer to this question can help determine whether a full-time or part-time program makes more sense for you. The majority of Texas McCombs MBA students go into their MBA with the goal of switching jobs. Our Working Professional (WP) MBA programs – Evening MBA (in Austin), MBA at Dallas/Fort Worth, and MBA at Houston – are an excellent fit for those looking to switch to a career in consulting, or to move into a different function within the same industry (such as operations to finance, or vice versa). The strong general management focus of the curriculum in the WP programs also gives graduates the tools they need to run a company, whether it’s their own or someone else’s. And hands-on experiences through the MBA+ Leadership Program offer students the opportunity to work on a consulting project to sharpen the skills needed for a switch.

If you’re planning a complete industry switch, say from software engineering to financial services, or moving into a specialized field such as investment banking or clean tech, then you may want to think about how your past experiences are related to these goals. If they’re completely unrelated, getting exposure and experience in this field prior to beginning your job search can be important. The Full-Time MBA requires a summer internship, and the elective choices allow students to dive deep into a specific industry or area of focus to position you for a strong career pivot.

Tip: Research your target companies in advance and see if they require an internship with the company prior to full-time employment.